December 2022 - You are accessing an archived version of our website. This website is no longer maintained or updated. The Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform has been migrated here: https://sdgs.un.org/
December 2022 - You are accessing an archived version of our website. This website is no longer maintained or updated. The Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform has been migrated here: https://sdgs.un.org/
*Originally submitted in French and translated to English by the Secretariat
The Principality of Monaco is a State with many unique features.
These include its size, just 2 km2; its long history, spanning more than seven centuries; its political system, whose stability is epitomized by its princes; its population, within which its own nationals are a minority; and its geographic location, perched on the Mediterranean coast.
This unique situation has long made Monaco a special player in the world, able to engage in the promotion of worthy causes, stimulate dialogue and take action beyond merely pursuing its national interest.
More than 100 years ago, Prince Albert I was one of the great minds of his time. A renowned oceanographer, fearless humanist and defender of the seas, he founded the Institut international de la paix, a precursor of the United Nations.
Since his accession to the throne in 2005, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II has continued this tradition, dedicating himself and rallying the support of his people, guiding his Government and administration, and uniting non-governmental organizations and economic institutions in support of sustainable development, which is essential in order to reconcile the requirements of human advancement with the needs of the natural world.
Sustainable development is an overriding priority in a world torn apart by numerous crises that are inextricably linked. Climate change is the result of a short-term economic model based on plundering natural resources. It directly contributes to the destabilization of the most vulnerable communities by destroying their way of life, harming their health and heightening tensions over natural resources.
The same is true for the major ills faced by our planet, which are all the result of a form of development that hurts the weakest and that will eventually endanger the whole of humankind.
In order to resolve these contradictions, we need to muster the support of all individuals. Accordingly, the Principality of Monaco has decided to commit itself at all levels.
First of all, Monaco has made commitments at the local level, with the implementation of policies aimed at promoting energy transition and soft mobility, introducing an effective social model and protecting the environment, in particular the marine environment, of the Principality.
It has also made international commitments, providing aid for the least developed countries aimed at addressing key issues such as health, education, empowerment and gender parity under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At present, the Principality provides the equivalent of 500 euros per capita in official development assistance.
The Principality is also committed to diplomatic engagement in multilateral bodies. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, who embodies this engagement, has attended every meeting on climate change since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. He participated actively in the twenty-first and twenty-second sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, contributing in particular to the organization of meetings on the oceans. At the United Nations, he was involved in drawing up Sustainable Development Goal 14 and in the negotiations on high-seas biodiversity. Lastly, together with his foundation, the Prince was behind the draft report on oceans and the cryosphere of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was launched in Monaco in 2016.
The Principality of Monaco is well aware, because of its size and its openness, that States cannot achieve everything alone. They need their actions to be leveraged by civil society. That is why, following in the footsteps of Prince Albert I, founder of the Oceanographic Institute in Paris and the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II established a foundation in his own name. Since its establishment 11 years ago, the foundation has carried out close to 400 projects around the world relating to climate change, biodiversity and water. The foundation, which is partly funded from public resources, contributes directly to the Principality’s efforts to promote sustainable development.
The commitment of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, like that of his great-great-grandfather, is based on a partnership with the scientific community, which sees Monaco as a welcoming and supportive partner.
The Principality of Monaco is wholly committed to sustainable development, as evidenced by the range of flexible and inclusive measures taken and its mobilization efforts, which have become an intrinsic part of its identity.
For decades Monaco has been committed to protect marine ecosystems especially in the Mediterranean region. In 1976, on the initiative of the Prince of Monaco, the first marine reserve of the Principality was created in the Larvotto area (33 hectares) to protect its rich ecosystem, and namely its Posidonia beds, followed in 1986 by the second marine reserve established to preserve the corallogenic wall of the Spelugues. For more than 40 years, Monaco has been active in managing these two urban and small scale MPAs, in order to offer a natural laboratory to the academic structures. The Pe...[more]
Sweden and Monaco share a deep commitment to the preservation of our oceans a well as a clear intention to support the implementation of sustainable development goal number 14 of the Agenda 2030 - SDG14. The two countries also have a strong will to engage government agencies, academia, companies and civil societies in these efforts as a broad approach has proven to be key to success. By organizing a follow-up event to The Ocean Conference in New York in June 2017, Sweden and Monaco wish to join forces in moving from words to deeds in facilitating the exchange of experiences and know-how in d...[more]
The IHO capacity building programme seeks to assess and advise on how countries can best meet their international obligations and serve their own best interests by providing appropriate hydrographic and nautical charting services. Such services directly support safety of navigation, safety of life at sea, efficient sea transportation and the wider use of the seas and oceans in a sustainable way, including the protection of the marine environment, coastal zone management, fishing, marine resource exploration and exploitation, maritime boundary delimitation, maritime defence and security, and o...[more]
The partnership between the Government of the Principality of Monaco and Ole Siosiomaga Society and the villages targeted has assisted in the cumulative efforts of OLSSI and other partners in further raising the understanding and awareness of the targeted coastal villages on the value of conservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and sustainable use of coastal mangrove areas and resources emanated from these key ecosystems. For a small island developing states such as Samoa, the mangrove wetlands only account for about 0.7% of the total land area and continue to decline despite the numerous be...[more]
Monaco is campaigning for the inclusion of the Angelshark, Squatina squatina, in annexes I and II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), at its 12th Conference of Parties, to be held in Manila, from 23rd until 28th October 2017. The Angelshark family (Squatinidae) has been identified as the second most threatened family of sharks and rays worldwide, in particular the S. squatina, which is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN since 2006. The main threats to this species are bycatch in coastal fisheries, unrestricted recreational angling, t...[more]
Monaco supports the GFCM measures to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In this respect, the commitment of Monaco for this four years agreed period aims to support the GFCM activities to curb IUU fishing. For the period 2017-2020, Monaco supports: - The celebration of an International Day for the fight against IUU fishing; - The Port State Measures Agreement to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing; - The GFCM Secretariat in IUU fishing international meetings; - IUU ...[more]
Ocean acidification is directly caused by climate change and represents a direct threat to the marine resources such as coral reefs and sea shells. It also has direct and indirect impacts on Pacific island coastal and pelagic ecosystems. The SPREP assists countries in developing national adaptation plans and other climate change policies, and is dedicated to coordinate the regions response to climate change. For that purpose Monaco supports SPREP to build coastal communities resilience to ocean acidification through the Pacific Partnership on Ocean Acidification project. Monaco commits...[more]
More than 200kg of plastic waste is dumped into the worlds oceans and seas every second, according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Studies show that about 80% of marine debris are plastics. This calls for urgent measures. Since June 1st 2016, the distribution (free of charge or for a fee) of single-use plastic bags, of a thickness of less than 50 microns and a volume of less than 25 liters and of oxo-fragmentable plastic bags is prohibited. On January 1st 2017, all other disposable bags intended for goods packaging at a retailer, which are not compostable and not compos...[more]
Under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Monaco Explorations intend to revive the Principalitys long-standing tradition of exploration at sea. Marine research, discovery, better understanding, awareness raising, as well concrete actions will all be major outcomes of this initiative. This endeavor will consist of 15 Missions around the World. Each Mission will be designed according to a specific topic or feature. The Monaco Explorations research team aboard the Yersin will also systematically associate local experts from the countries or the regions visited...[more]
Monaco supports the program entitled Initiative de la Francophonie for Sustainable Tourism in Small Islands Developing States The program is developed for pilot countries sharing the same sustainable objectives, i.e. Cabo Verde, Comores, Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Saint Lucia and Vanuatu. Within the framework of a multi-stakeholder approach, the Institut de la Francophonie pour le dveloppement durable (IFDD) contributes to the definition of sustainable tourism norms enabling those countries to benefit from tourism...[more]
